Motivation of Computer Science Engineering Students: Analysis and Recommendations

Abstract

This Research Full Paper presents an empirical study about the motivation of Computer Science Engineering students. It is well known that student´s performance is affected by the academic conditions of the students, as well as their aptitudes and motivation. In the case of Engineering disciplines, motivation is particularly critical because the difficulty of Engineering degrees. It can lead to low levels of effectiveness and motivation, resulting in high rates of absenteeism and dropout. Therefore, it is important to reach a complete understanding of Engineering students’ motivation and to draw strategies to boost it. This paper presents a case study performed with 78 Computer Science Engineering students of the Technical University of Madrid. This experience allows to analyze empirically student´s motivation and to establish learning recommendations to encourage it, as well as to compare motivational differences between students from different courses.